My family and I have been eating Paleo for a little while now and I thought I'd share some of our progress. If you are unfamiliar with what Paleo is all about, go here and then come back over!
One of my good friends has been eating this way for awhile and you just can't argue with the results. She looks fabulous and feels even better. The essence is to rid your diet of all processed food, grains, legumes, and dairy. What's left?!?
Believe me. I was skeptical at first too. But, then I discovered there is SO much to eat, and more importantly, these things are way better for you.
Now, I don't like to get crazy about vitamins and minerals, and fish oil and all that hoopla. I do like to eat real food, prepared in a fresh and healthy way. I like to not feel tired and craving a sugar boost every 3 hours. I like to wake up rested and ready for my day. I like knowing I'm filling my son with the proper fuel for his day.
We eat eggs, and lots of them! Meat, LOTS of vegetables (roasted, toasted, steamed, sauteed, pureed), fruit, and nuts. It may not seem like a lot, but I've found our meals so satisfying and filling. More filling than any cream of casserole or pasta dish I've ever made. And the satisfied feeling lasts much longer. No running to the pantry for a handful of crackers to make it through the laundry (you know you've done it).
When we first ventured down this road last summer, I found it completely overwhelming to come up with meals. I struggled along for several weeks, but eventually converted back to my oatmeal and wheat toast ways. The holidays were especially rough. Who doesn't want to make cookies with their kids?!
Then, I just decided enough was enough. I remembered how good I felt when I followed the plan and jumped back on the wagon, full force, both feet first! But this time, I've equipped myself with some tools to help me succeed.
I mentioned in yesterday's post about Emeals. I can't say enough good things about them. You sign up for a plan (in our case, the Paleo plan) and every week a new 7-day dinner plan is emailed to you, complete with a shopping list. Better still, there are tons of coupon codes out there, so I got a whole year's worth of meal plans for $3 a month. $3! What? That to me, is money well spent!
I also added a few new cookbooks to my collection and they have been awesome!
The first is Practical Paleo. This book is absoluty essential to anyone who wants to know more and then, start the Paleo lifestyle. I will warn you, there are a lot of pages about all the things that wheat, gluten, etc do to your body. I get that lots of people will really want to delve into that. Like I said, I just like the way I feel. I don't necessarily need to know about all the organs in my body.
Diane gives you great ideas for how to transition and some awesome recipes as well, complete with 30 day meal plans.
This one has great kiddie friendly ideas, as well as some fun staples, like sauces.
I was thrilled when I saw this title! Everything we've tried so far has been delish. Fried okra?! Mashed cauliflower that tastes better than tatters?! Sign me up!
My new fav is Paleo Indulgences. This book is what made me feel like I can do this. What? I can still make cupcakes for my son's birthday? We can still have pancakes on Sunday nights? Yay!
The key is to treat these as indulgences. Because that's what these types of food should be. Paleo or not. Our world has become a world of indulgences all the time, any time and it's time to get back to basics. Believe me. Peanut M&M's and I have been besties for a long time and we've had a rough break-up...
Anyway. I know no one probably cares what my family eats, but if I can help one other person see that Paleo is not crazy than hooray! I definitely thought my Paleo friend was nutso when she told me about the program (love you girl!). But then I tried it.
We're still figuring it out. We haven't braved a restaurant since we've gone "all in" yet, or been guests at someone else's house, or entertained, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Baby steps.
Don't worry. This is not becoming a food blog. Or a Paleo fan club. However, this blog is about my life, my nest, and this has become a new part of how we live around here. And I'm excited to share it with all of you!
Now I'm gonna go bake those blueberry muffins on the cover there because they are making my tummy growl!
XO,
Sara
I hear more and more about this every day. While some parts appeal to me (the whole closer to nature part makes so much sense), I don't believe that I could live without cheese unless there was some sort of extreme circumstance. Is there anything that you feel that way about that make you pause? Is there anything that you are missing terribly?
ReplyDeleteAlso, can you please please tell me more about where to find deals on emeals?! I know I could do a much better job of saving money if I did more meal planning, but I'm so bad at figuring out what we're going to eat! I keep wanting to sign up for something like this, but I don't want to spend the money. :)
Thanks for reading Beth! I feel you on the cheese thing. And to be honest, I still use cheese here and there. It doesn't seem to bother my family so we use it sparingly. The hardest thing for me has been sweets, but I think I was becoming way too dependent on sugar. The "experts" recommend going 30 days with a strict Paleo diet, then add back dairy. If you still feel great, keep it in your diet. Just make sure it's natural and organic if possible. No artificial junk!
DeleteAs far as the emeals deals go, google "emeals coupon codes". Retailmenot.com has a few different codes to try to take some money off a subscription. You can try a 3-month subscription first to see if you like it and if you change your mind on the Paleo plan, you can change your meal plan option once a month. We have been having the best meals lately and it has eliminated the stress/time commitment of planning each week/month.
I hope that helps! Feel free to ask any other questions you may have! We can learn together! :)
Excellent! Thanks so much! And, just so you know, this is cousin Beth. I love your blog! :)
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